The Southmost Regional Water Authority (SRWA) Brackish Groundwater Treatment Facility turns brackish groundwater from the Rio Grande Alluvium within the Gulf Coast Aquifer into drinking water, giving the region a local supply that does not come out of the Rio Grande.
Plans are underway to optimize and expand the facility. Optimization would increase production capacity from 7.5 million gallons per day (MGD) to 10 MGD. A 2023 engineering study identified 15 optimization projects to support this effort, with an estimated cost of $46.8 million*, and the work could take approximately two years to complete.
BPUB operates the facility and is pursuing federal funding opportunities to help advance these improvements. Longer-term planning also includes a potential expansion of the facility to 20 MGD, currently estimated at approximately $202 million*, which could be completed around 2033. Together, the optimization and expansion work represents an estimated total investment of approximately $249 million*.
Added capacity benefits every SRWA partner and the region as a whole. Each additional gallon treated here is a gallon that does not have to be diverted from the river, which strengthens the water supply for the communities SRWA serves and leaves the region better positioned through drought.
* All cost estimates are expressed in 2024 dollars. Costs and schedules are subject to refinement as planning, design, funding, permitting, procurement, and market conditions evolve.
Project Phases
Optimization to 10 MGD
Estimated Cost: $46.8 million*
Details:
- Reconstruction of 20 wells
- Construction of 2 new wells
- Upgrade and increase the capacity of the microfiltration system
- Upgrade the reverse osmosis system
- Upgrade electrical and instrumentation systems
- Improve chemical dosing and storage systems
Expansion to 20 MGD
Estimated Cost: $202 million*
Details:
- Construct 20 new wells, a raw water transmission line, an intermediate pump station and additional reverse osmosis trains
- Expand and enhance the pretreatment system
- Install and upgrade the pumps and ancillary equipment
- Upgrade electrical and instrumentation systems
- Install a new backup generation system
Project Benefits
Increased Capacity
Expands water treatment capacity to meet growing community needs
Improved Efficiency
Implements modern treatment technologies for better performance
Water Quality
Enhances treatment processes to maintain high water quality standards
Reliability
Improves system redundancy and operational flexibility